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Love this pick...I'd say with this year's defensive class...we have a helluva future! Jarvis Jones at ROLB, Shamarko Thomas at SS, Terry Hawthorne at CB, Vince Williams at MLB..potential nose tackles in Nicholas Williams and that one UDFA out of Michigan State. LOTS of potential. I am liking the future for our defense!

According to the highest office in the country, some "very fine people" marched with torches in a violent protest in Charlottesville, but participating in a non-violent protest on a football field means you are an S.O.B. who should be fired.

Steelers rookie cornerback Terry Hawthorne: "I'll do whatever I can to help the team."

Terry Hawthorne was a Parade All-America receiver as a high school senior in East St. Louis, Ill. At the University of Illinois, he was converted to cornerback and developed into a top NFL prospect by the time his junior season ended.

But after a senior season that some termed disappointing, Hawthorne was downgraded from a potential high-round to a low-round draft choice.

The Steelers selected him in the fifth round recently in the NFL draft, and they believe they have a talented player who can grow into a quality NFL corner.

"He is fast," Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake said. "What I like about Terry is that he has a lot of upside potential that I see in him. I think he has all the physical tools. He is big. He is fast. He doesn't mind tackling, and he can play press coverage well, kind of in the same way as an Ike Taylor."

Hawthorne, who is 6 feet, 190 pounds, was a full-time starter for two seasons with the Fighting Illini, earning All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention both seasons. In 26 starts, he had six career interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns.

Hawthorne went through rookie camp with the Steelers' other draft picks and free agents over the weekend. He said he is relearning how to play the position after Lake discovered he had been getting by in college with improper technique.

"I'm just trying to get my technique down," Hawthorne said. "They've been correcting me on my technique. I had bad technique. As I'm getting my technique better, they're starting to get a little more comfortable with me."

Once Hawthorne fine-tunes his technique, Lake envisions him competing with other young and unproven players in the secondary.

Veteran Taylor and third-year pro Cortez Allen are expected to be the starting corners this fall after Keenan Lewis signed with the New Orleans Saints in the offseason. The Steelers signed veteran William Gay to be their third corner, and Hawthorne will be competing to add depth.

"Just watching it, from my perspective, I think that if there is anything I can help him with, it will probably be his technique," said Lake, who played safety and cornerback for the Steelers from 1989 to 1998. "I think he has maybe got himself a little bit out of position, and it is partly due to some of the things that I saw with him that I can help clean up. That is kind of where I see the potential in him. Right now, he is just raw.

"I would like to hone those skills and get him in the lab and really work with him on those things."

Hawthorne said he will work on his shortcomings in the coming weeks, and he hopes to hit the ground running later this month when the Steelers veterans convene for organized team activities.

"It gives me a great advantage for them to correct my technique now," Hawthorne said. "When I leave and go back home, I can work on the things they want me to work on."

Hawthorne also has a chance to make an impact on special teams. He has some experience returning punts and kicks at Illinois and has the physical abilities to excel in other roles on special teams as well.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost three young starters during the 2013 off-season and possibly the most important departure may have been corner Keenan Lewis. Lewis, 26, finally turned the corner in 2011 and became a full-time starter for the Steelers in 2012. It took Lewis a few years to get a hold of the Steelers defense, but once he did he became an important part of the defense. Lewis’ turn around could also have something to do with new defensive back Carnell Lake.

Lake played for the Steelers from 1989-1999 and retired from football as a player in 2001. During his career he played both safety positions and corner as well. In 2009, Lake served for one year as the UCLA Bruins corner-backs coach, but left for family reasons. In 2011, he took over as the Steelers defensive backs coach and since being with the team multiple players have turned their careers around and the Steelers have been first in pass defense the past two years.

In 2010, with a similar group of defensive backs as the last two seasons, the Steelers ranked 12th in the league on defense against the pass. Then in 2011 William Gay, who had been an inconsistent player throughout his career, had the best year of his career in his first year under Lake. 2011 was also the first season in which Lewis started to turn things around and in 2012, after Gay left as a free agent, Lewis took over as the starter and played very well.

During the Steelers first draft with Lake as the team’s defensive back’s coach they drafted corners in the third and fourth round. Those two players were Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen. Allen is expected to take over for Lewis as one of the Steelers starting corners and Lake still has very high hopes for Brown. ”We’re hoping that Curtis can turn the corner right now,” said Lake after the 2013 NFL Draft. Brown was considered the better of the two prospects between he and Allen when drafted, but their NFL careers have taken very different paths to this point.

The Steelers re-signed Gay to a new deal, who along with Taylor and Allen gives the Steelers a solid first three corners on the depth chart. However, behind those three there are a lot of question marks. Brown, as mentioned, has yet to put it all together at the pro level. Unless Brown plays very well during training camp and the pre-season he may lose the spot as the Steelers fourth corner.

The players with a chance to supplant Brown are DeMarcus Van Dyke and 2013 fifth round pick Terry Hawthorne.

The Steelers signed Van Dyke in September after he was released by the Oakland Raiders. What some people may not know is there was a good reason why the Steelers snatched up Van Dyke quickly once he was released. During the 2011 NFL Draft the Steelers were planning on adding multiple corner backs. In the third round they were targeting a corner out of Miami, who just so happened to run the fastest time at the combine with a 4.28 forty yard dash, that player was Van Dyke. However, before the Steelers got a chance to draft him the Raiders selected him and the Steelers drafted Brown out of Texas.

Fifth round pick Terry Hawthorne will also have a chance to see playing time on defense even as a rookie if he continues to impress. During the Steelers rookie camp last week Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said that Hawthorne’s smoothness at corner was impressive.

“He is fast,” Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake said. “What I like about Terry is that he has a lot of upside potential that I see in him. I think he has all the physical tools. He is big. He is fast. He doesn’t mind tackling, and he can play press coverage well, kind of in the same way as an Ike Taylor.”

Hawthorne was a very good corner for Illinois during his Junior season, but he, and the rest of the team, struggled during the 2012 season. With some coaching from Lake he could become a contributor for the Steelers as a rookie. Hawthorne may also become a long-term starter alongside Allen; especially as Taylor is 33 and only has two years left on his current contract.

If Hawthorne has an impact as a rookie on the Steelers defense and becomes a future starter he will have been a huge steal in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

It's highly likely that Hawthorne's knee injury prevents him from showing anything at training camp that would justify putting him on the Final 53. Hopefully he can get stashed on the PS or they just give him a "redshirt" year and stash him on the IR.

It's highly likely that Hawthorne's knee injury prevents him from showing anything at training camp that would justify putting him on the Final 53. Hopefully he can get stashed on the PS or they just give him a "redshirt" year and stash him on the IR.

I doubt that removing bone chips from his knee in May will hinder him in August.

NFL player locker room talk: Discussing what can be done about racial inequality and criminal justice reform.

According to the highest office in the country, some "very fine people" marched with torches in a violent protest in Charlottesville, but participating in a non-violent protest on a football field means you are an S.O.B. who should be fired.

CB is probably going to be our toughest competition in camp. I see only Ike, Tez, and Gay as locks. Beyond that everything is up in the air.

What do you guys think is the fate of Brown, Van Dyke, Victorian, Hawthorne? Only 2 or 3 of those guys make the roster. Could Curtis Brown get cut? I thought he's look awful. Van Dyke is a superb athlete, but I'm not sure if he's mentally tough enough. Victorian, I like, but he's small and seems like the easiest to let go. We're all praying Hawthorne is good because these other 3 have their red flags.